Kiss Kiss

In recognition of Valentine's Day, I'd like to share some recent data about kissing that comes from Albright College in Pennsylvania.

Kissing, smooching, snogging...what does it really mean? The hypotheses were
1) It can be used as a mate assessment
2) It promotes bonding
3) It induces sexual arousal

Researchers found support for all three of these hypotheses, and found that women place more emphasis on the taste and smell of the person they kiss than men do. (Men tend to have less acute senses of taste and smell than women.) Kissing is also a bigger potential deal-breaker for women than for men. Men were more likely to expect kissing to lead to sex. (No big surprise there.)

Though it's been a while since I've had a proper kiss (not counting the sweet ones from my niece and nephew this weekend), I have had several deal-breaker kissers that stand out in my memory. In high school, I was thrilled to have a date with a popular guy until we got to the kiss. He slobbered so much I had to wipe my chin! Gross! Smell is also very important to me, and when you get that close to someone, you get a nose-ful of their scent. One guy smelled like cedar and my mind wandered to hamster cages filled with cedar shavings.

Tonight I'm headed to an Anti-Valentine's Party for single NYers. I'm not expecting to kiss anyone, just hoping to meet some new friends and who knows? Maybe someone I'd like to see again.